Kitchen Hygiene Key To Healthy Life

The food we consume is a major determinant of our general health. Food habits are generally influenced by an individual’s lifestyle, choice, purchasing power and family traditions. Regardless of the nature and type of food, its quality is largely impacted by the hygienic practices adopted along the food chain. Thus, the general wellness of a family can be traced to the practices adopted in a kitchen. A clean and well-organised kitchen, pantry and store go a long way in ensuring food safety and maintaining the aesthetic appeal of cooked food. 

As we celebrated World Food Safety Day on Wednesday (June 7) with the theme “Food Standards Save Lives”, the effort to concentrate global focus towards compliance with regulations is loud and clear. Food, be it raw or processed, should be handled in a way that ensures no cross-contamination of physical, chemical and microbial hazards. 

Food is a fertile medium that harbours microbes and hence is prone to contamination wherein health is adversely affected. From symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders to food poisoning, the consequences could be fatal. The probability of such situations escalates during the summer season and humid environment where sweltering heat and moist conditions accelerate undesirable microbial and chemical reactions leading to deterioration in food quality. Hence, the housekeeping practices adopted at home, professional catering institutions or eatery outlets significantly impact food quality. This is even more relevant in commercial open kitchens where a well-managed clean kitchen is crucial in maintaining customer loyalty. 

Management

Managing kitchen hygiene would involve a systemic approach towards the proper planning, implementation, inspection and review of practices aimed at ensuring food hygiene.Well-thought-out planning includes proper schedules for cleaning and disinfection, preparation for segregation and storage of raw materials and ready-to-eat food items, good storage practices, pest control plans, and preventive maintenance plans for electric appliances like refrigerators and water treatment mini plants. 

The implementation of good hygienic practices is pivotal. Personal hygiene of a food handler is paramount. Stringent adherence to cleaning plans is equally imperative. This includes dry cleaning, mopping, wet scrubbing and even deep cleaning of food handling areas. Segregation of ready-to-eat and raw food items during storage is another vital area. Perishable items like milk, meat, and fish require immediate refrigeration upon receipt.  

It is necessary to separate chopping boards and knives used for meat items from non-meat items to avoid cross-contamination. Likewise, a separate cutting board and knife set for ready-to-eat foods like cakes, cheese, and salads is preferable. Cooked foods should not be left at ambient temperature for long as it could lead to progressive deterioration in food quality. Cooling and refrigeration are the ideal way forward here. Furthermore, it is all-important to ascertain the portion size of stored food while reheating or defrosting because repeating such procedures degrades food quality. 

Another common household food item is an egg, which is another potential source of contamination. Eggs need to be cleaned before being stored in the refrigerator. Storage of other food items in the egg crates section should be refrained.  First-In-First-Out (FIFO) strategy is a global good storage practice applied in food manufacturing and storage. Every food item - raw or cooked, dry or frozen - must be consumed as per this strategy to avoid potential quality degradation and food loss.

Kitchen appliances like ovens, toasters and grills should be cleaned at regular intervals. When warm, these appliances can harbour thermophilic and mesophilic microbes. Similarly, refrigeration conditions harbour psychrophilic microbes. Food spilt in these devices can cause off-odours and could attract household pests. Covering food during refrigeration and microwave cooking is important, as it helps avoid contamination from the internal equipment parts. Leftover food from plates needs to be disposed of in designated waste bins. Bins must be regularly emptied, cleaned and kept covered at all times. It is advisable to disinfect the house against pests like cockroaches, mosquitoes, and termites.  

It is a household ritual to ensure the cleanliness of utensils for food storage, cooking or serving. It is also imperative to dry it adequately before storage. Glass used for drinking water should not be stored upside down in an airtight position after manual washing, as it would trap the moist air resulting in a foul smell. Cloth towels, aprons and mittens need to be changed regularly to avoid cross-contamination.

While implementation of good practice is the key to a well-managed system, inspections help identify shortcomings. Regular examination of nooks and corners of kitchen and food stores could help assess cleaning effectiveness and identify potential hazards like traces of infestation. It is important to ensure activities as per existing contracts related to pest control, water treatments and preventive maintenance of appliances are implemented. All stored kitchenware like crockeries, cutleries and containers require regular inspection for any visible infestation. The kitchen and store layout is yet another area that needs monitoring. A well-aerated kitchen with cross ventilation, proper drainage, and exhaust and equipped with an ample source of water is an ideal set-up required to implement good kitchen hygiene practices. 

Critical component

While inspections help trace nonconformities, an overall review of the hygiene status helps to chalk out continual improvement plans. Regular assessment of the kitchen facility would help identify any need for enhancing hygiene facilities. Ultimately, any such investment would be worth every penny. A clean kitchen reflects the effort to maintain good hygiene. While this is often not a much-discussed issue, its implication for the quality of food prepared and family health, at large, is significant. Food safety is an inherent aspect of food quality. Poor hygiene and cross-contamination can retard the goodness of a nourishing food resulting in the loss of its nutritive value. Concerted efforts are, therefore, necessary to ensure proper planning of kitchen hygiene management, its implementation, regular inspections and timely review of the strategies adopted. After all, food is the most critical component that fuels life.

(Monica is a food technologist.monicakpg@yahoo.com)